


An Absolute Time

by TheaBloom



Series: Twin Suns- Deleted Scenes [2]
Category: Star Wars: Rebels, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Episode: s03e11 Visions and Voices, Episode: s03e20 Twin Suns, Flashbacks, Gen, Son of Dathomir, Tatooine, mentions of Obi Wan Kenobi - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-07
Updated: 2017-10-07
Packaged: 2019-01-10 06:35:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12293352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheaBloom/pseuds/TheaBloom
Summary: Ezra and Chopper, sent to the nearest town on the back on a dewback by an old Master, try to find their way back home.





	An Absolute Time

    There was a smell in the air that Ezra had known all too well, ever since joining the rebellion:  the smell of burning flesh.

    The first time he had a full blast of it was when Maul decapitated one of the Inquisitors in front of him.  The most recent occurrence was the death of Mr. Sumar, one of the oldest friends of his family, blown up by Grand Admiral Thrawn himself.

    If there were ever a Force trick where he could block all sense of smell, he would love to learn it.

    This smell lingered in the air for what seemed like ages, as if a carnivore began tearing its teeth into a helpless piece of prey.  A fresh kill.

    Ezra looked around, suspecting a fresh carcass laying around the corner.  Instead, in front of him, lay a small, quiet city.

    “Chop, any idea on what this place is?”  He muttered to the astromech behind him.

    Chopper gave a confused grumble in response.

    Ezra carefully guided the dewback to an empty corral panel and got off, Chopper jumping off behind him.  He tied the dewback up then slowly ran his hand along the bottom of its chin.  “He’ll probably come back for you, buddy.”

    The dewback grunted in response then sank to its knees and closed its eyes.

    As soon as they got to the entrance of the city, Ezra sniffed the air and about gagged. “What the-“

    A couple of aliens passerby gave him a dirty look as they walked by.

    Ezra and Chopper hesitantly walked into the city, the latter grumbling nervously behind him.  There were so many species that Ezra had never seen before.  There was the occasional Ithorian and Devaronian that lumbered by but other than that, he had no idea exactly what he was looking at.  A small, long-snouted creature loped by, escorted by two pale Twi’lek girls with heavy makeup and headpieces covered in jewelry.  A squat blue creature with small wings and a proboscis buzzed near him, muttering something he did not understand.

    Above the smell of manure and other filth, the smell of burning flesh still remained strong and wafted out from a small white building.

    Chopper shook out some sand then spat something in disgust.

    “I know you don’t like this place but I think we need to watch what we do around here…” Ezra said then looked around.  “And I thought the marketplace back on Lothal was crowded…”

    Chopper grumbled back a response.

    “You wanna stay out here?  All right…”

    Ezra descended the stairs of the white building, adjusting the clip on his lightsaber.  He wiped some of the sand out of his eye with his thumb then felt for the holocron in his pocket.  It hummed slightly for a second then stopped.

    Before him lay a dingy bar with soft white lights illuminating the front bar.  The small windows in the back let in the early morning light and some of the regulars were slumped over their drinks.

    “Hey, bounty hunter, you wanna drink?’  The human bartender called out, motioning with his hand.

    “I’m… not a bounty hunter.”  Ezra responded then crossed his arms.  “But I am looking for something.  Or someone.”

    “Well come on then.  Lemme get you a drink so I can help you out.”

    Ezra slowly made his way down to the bar and sat down then looked around.  A huge Ithorian- even bigger than Old Jho- conversed in the corner with a small brown humanoid with bulbous brown eyes.  A trio of tall cat people lounged in one of the booths, whispering something and playing with their cups.  A tall grey humanoid with what looked like his brain sticking out of the top of his head sat next to him; attached to the alien via a small thick chain was a green Twi’lek close to Ezra’s age.  She had on thick purple eyeshadow and a simple silver headpiece that emphasized a pair of very long _lekku_.

    Ezra waved a very awkward hello at her then jumped back as the bartender set a cup down on the table.

    “ _Atqalla ikyawaw_ , eh?” The humanoid beside him asked in a nasally voice, turning toward him.

    “Excuse me?” Ezra asked flatly.

    “My master Dars Navaat asked if you were from the city.”  The Twi’lek responded with a faint Ryloth accent.

    “Uh… does… Lothal count?”

    “Out here, kid, there’s a rivalry against folks who live on the other big city planets.  Coruscant, Garel?  City folk who have credits to get by.”  The bartender replied, leaning one arm on the counter toward Ezra.  “Outer Rim?  You gotta earn your place in the world.”  He tapped his hand on the counter then sat down.  “Now, who or _what_ you lookin’ for, kid?”

    Ezra swung his legs on either side of the stool, trying to figure out what to say.  “Well… I’m looking for a ship that belonged to someone I know.”

    “What does this guy look like?”

    “Umm… OK, he’s about your height, really skinny… I think he’s around your age… has a cane, red with black markings on his face and horns?”

    The bar suddenly became eerily quiet for a moment before returning to its already quiet energy.

    Ezra slowly looked around and saw another human in a back room tend to something laying on a table.

    Not something.   _Someone_.

    The dead alien was hideous.  Short tusks protruded out of its lolling mouth and studded clothing covered the creature’s enormous girth.  Stubby hands hung over the sides of the table.

    The overwhelming smell of burning flesh originated from the creature’s mess of a body.

    “You’re looking for the monster who did that?”  The bartender asked, nodding toward the back room.

    Ezra found himself unconsciously fingering his lightsaber.  “Well… he’s just…”

    He found himself struggling for words.  This was the person who had blinded his master, manipulated and tricked him, who had almost killed his family and left them to die, and who had the gall to call him “brother.”

    The humanoid next to him scoffed.  “ _Ira yach apo yita ilall **Garroz Tarogg** , quy itjak, anij namnashyuy_.”

    The bartender let out a hum of approvement.  “You’re right about that, Dars.”

    “I have no idea what he just said.”  Ezra hissed.

    The Twi’lek gently tugged on the chain attached to her master.  “ _Nutah, yach anum achay atami atus anin_.”

    “ _Garroz Tarogg yak kuji alirug a Jabba the Hutt_.”  Dars replied, waving his hand in dismissal.

    “What did he say?”  Ezra asked.

    “That was Garroz Tarogg, one of Jabba the Hutt’s bodyguards.”  The Twi’lek translated, turning toward him.

    Ezra gulped.  “ _Jabba the Hutt_?”

    “If that… friend of yours… can take down a fully grown male Gamorrean with that... fire sword of his, we don’t wanna know what else he could do.”  The bartender finished.  “And you want to know where he went?”

    “Sort of.”  Ezra tried to take a swig of his cup- then immediately spat it out onto the counter, leaning back on his stool.

    A pair of Togrutas on the other side of the counter guffawed at this, clinging onto the countertop and hiccupping in hilarity.

    “Well… I told him where he could get a speeder for cheap if he wanted one and he… went on his way.  Like nothing ever happened.”  The bartender added, taking Ezra’s cup and wiping down the counter.  “He was looking for something out in the desert.”

    Ezra could imagine Maul stalking up the stairs, blood dripping from his shawl, leaving behind chaos in the bar, the anger fuming from him like smoke from a bonfire.

    Ezra looked toward the stairs then at the back room where Garroz Tarogg lied before looking back at the bartender with a determined look.

    “Where’s his ship?”

\----

    _The first time Ezra had boarded the Nightbrother, it was to Dathomir- Maul’s home planet- to unearth what information he learned from the holocrons._

_The trip there already had an uncomfortable amount of awkwardness in the air but it was also unearthly quiet save the quiet hum of the ship.  Not that Ezra wanted to strike up a conversation with Maul unless absolutely necessary, but it was too quiet even for his liking._

_Instead, he watched Maul’s every move out of the corner of his eye.  The Zabrak didn’t pay attention to Ezra, keeping his hungry yellow eyes faced forward as they jumped to hyperspace.  His hands unconsciously twitched as they released the wheel and dimmed the lights in the cockpit._

_Ezra adjusted his seat up and down as he watched the lights dim then hesitantly placed a hand on his side of the dashboard.  “What’s this ship called?”_

_Maul turned toward him slightly, his yellow eyes crinkling as he regarded him.  “The Nightbrother… after the high ranking people of my clan.  This ship was a gift from the army of Mandalore.”_

_“Sabine’s from Mandalore.”_

_Maul let out a huff from his nose in amusement.  “Yes, I know.”_

_The soft nostalgic smirk that followed did not comfort Ezra._

_He ran a finger along a long burn on the dashboard before slowly retracting his hand.  “Were you… ever a Nightbrother?  Back where you’re from?”  He asked hesitantly._

_Maul glanced up at Ezra in thought before scowling. “No…”  He turned back toward the hyperspace in front of him.  “I was robbed of that opportunity when I was a mere child.” He growled softly then looked back toward Ezra, eyes wide in despair.  “I don’t recall my childhood…”_

_Ezra glanced at Maul for a moment before looking back out at hyperspace.  He could not help but respond “I don’t remember mine either…”_

\-----

    The Nightbrother sat there in the landing bay, the early morning sun shining into its dark cockpit.  

    Ezra walked up the ramp and flipped on the lights.  He forgot how brightly lit the hallways were.

    Chopper let out a squawk behind him and rolled up to the cockpit door.

    “No, Chop, it doesn’t automatically open unless you want it to.”  Ezra opened the cockpit door then sat down in the driver’s seat.  He dimmed the cockpit lights and flipped on the engine.

    Chopper grumbled something questioningly as he hobbled over to the hyperdrive.

    Ezra turned toward him.  “’Is Maul coming back?’”

    He grunted in response.

    Ezra looked up at the twin suns peeking out from the morning clouds then pulled out the pieces of the Sith holocron.  He closed his eyes with a sigh and let the pieces float in his hand.

    The Force felt quiet and serene.  Nothing disturbed it except for an overwhelming sense of sadness and relief.

    Yet, there was hope.

    Ezra opened his eyes and closed his hand around the holocron pieces.  “No.  I don’t think we’re gonna run into him again.”

    Chopper grumbled a response.

    “All right, all right, all right, we’re goin’. “  Ezra pocketed the holocron pieces then pulled out the wheel with a flick of a switch.

    “Hera, I’m comin’ home.”

**Author's Note:**

> -The Huttese is actually simplified Quechua just transcribed backwards. This is actually the method originally proposed for Greedo's appeareance in "A New Hope" according to Ben Burtt (the sound designer and editor for Star Wars).  
> -Dars Navaat is a Siniteen, the same species of alien as the person responsible for taking away young Ventress from the Nightsisters (as explained in the Nightsister arc)  
> -Just realized that the description I gave the Twi'lek girl makes her an awful lot similar to Oola from "Return of the Jedi." Interpretations are open!


End file.
